The Australian Synchrotron: A materials analysis toolkit

Dr Anton Tadich – Partner Investigator, FLEET/ANSTO

Part of ANSTO’s national network of facilities, the Australian Synchrotron is located in the Monash/Clayton scientific precinct

 The Challenge

• Development of advanced quantum technologies and devices requires a fundamental understanding of the constituent building block ‘quantum materials’ which underpin their exciting properties
• Quantum materials require high purity and order (structure and chemistry)
• Precision measurement techniques are required following growth/fabrication.

The Solution

The Australian Synchrotron is the southern hemisphere’s brightest source of X-rays.

The Synchrotron offers collimated, polarized and coherent x-rays to cover all your materials analysis needs

We provide a range of instruments and techniques designed to measure the chemical, electronic and structural properties of advanced materials for technological applications.

1. X-ray diffraction and scattering → Atomic structure, crystalline phases
2. X-ray Imaging → X-ray computed tomography (3D X-rays); imaging of soft matter
3. X-ray and Infrared Spectroscopy → Chemical composition, electronic structure

Key Benefits

• Unique techniques not offered by any other laboratory services
• Close linkages with academic resources
• In-house expertise for measurement, analysis and report creation
• Rapid-access mode for industrial and commercial clients
• Protection of your intellectual property through Non-Disclosure Agreements

Development Stage

• Materials characterisation at a fundamental level
• Identifying advanced materials for quantum platforms
• Research and development needs

Brief Description & Differentiation

The Synchrotron’s soft X-ray beamline allows analysis of chemistry to 10nm depth

X-rays produced from a synchrotron light source are brighter and more adjustable than conventional x-ray sources used in laboratory and commercial x-ray analysis facilities.

The Australian Synchrotron features methods for X-ray materials characterisation not possible using conventional X-ray sources.

More information

• Contact Dr Anton Tadich Australian Synchrotron antont@ansto.gov.au

The soft x-ray beamline at the Australian Synchrotron is a powerful source of low energy x-rays which can be used to study the composition/chemistry of the topmost atomic layers of advanced materials. For example, the beamline has been used to study how a single layer of graphene on silicon carbide interacts with calcium, allowing it to turn into a possible superconductor.

Featuring a wide soft x-ray energy region and tuneable intensity, the beamline can be used to test next-generation soft x-ray detectors synthesised from advanced materials, with applications in biological imaging and microscopy, Recently, the beamline has been used to test a prototype of the worlds thinnest x-ray detector made from a single atomic layer of tin sulfide.